Chapter 13: This Shore and the Other Shore
"This Shore, That Shore…"
The teacher responsible for recording muttered the name of the Zanpakuto as he wrote it down, then suddenly chuckled and said, "It sounds like the names of two Zanpakuto."
"What about its ability?" another teacher continued to ask.
Tachikawa Shin thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I haven't fully figured out the specific abilities yet, but… it should be a healing type."
[This Shore, That Shore (Half Shikai)]
[Rule Type]
They are indeed the names of two Zanpakuto: This Shore is a Katana, and That Shore is a Wakizashi.
In Buddhism, the cycle of birth and death is This Shore, referring to the mortal world of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Nirvana is That Shore, referring to achieving Buddhahood.
Tachikawa Shin's Zanpakuto is different from ordinary Shinigami's; it is not constructed from an Asauchi, but rather a Zanpakuto forged from his own spiritual pressure.
"Healing type?"
All the teachers present, including Sawataku Minamida, looked extremely surprised.
The reason was that healing-type Zanpakuto are extremely rare; the only well-known one is Retsu Unohana's Minazuki, the Captain of the Fourth Division. Even within the Fourth Division, which is a healing Squad, there are only a handful of Squad members with healing-type Zanpakuto.
Sawataku Minamida was surprised because Kido was clearly the worst of Tachikawa Shin's grades.
Of course, compared to Tachikawa Shin's other excellent grades, his Kido scores were still very good among his peers, just not as far ahead as his other subjects.
Sawataku Minamida's eyes showed a lot of worry. In his opinion, Tachikawa Shin's Zanpakuto ability might greatly limit Tachikawa Shin's future development path, even though his Swordsmanship skill was so high…
"Can you demonstrate it?" the recording teacher continued to ask.
Tachikawa Shin nodded.
He said his Zanpakuto was a healing type because, upon careful thought, it seemed to be the most fitting description.
He drew the Asauchi in his hand, and under the gaze of the three teachers, he unhesitatingly sliced his own palm.
Blood immediately welled up.
Then, a spiritual energy glow lit up on the black Asauchi, and the wound on Tachikawa Shin's palm instantly vanished, as if it had never existed.
"This…"
"This healing power is truly amazing!"
One teacher couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. He saw that not a single scar was left on Tachikawa Shin's palm, which requires advanced Kido to achieve. If properly developed, it would be an incredibly powerful healing ability!
Moreover, Tachikawa Shin is a genius, which would be a blessing for the Soul Society.
The two teachers then asked many more detailed questions and had Tachikawa Shin demonstrate it several times. Whenever Tachikawa Shin encountered a question he hadn't thought about how to answer, he would say that he had just awakened his Zanpakuto and didn't understand it well enough yet.
Only after all the Zanpakuto information was registered did the two teachers leave.
Tachikawa Shin then unceremoniously sat in Mr. Minamida's chair and let out a long sigh, saying, "What a hassle."
He then looked at Sawataku Minamida: "What's wrong, Mr. Minamida? You still seem unhappy?"
Sawataku Minamida gazed at Tachikawa Shin and said, "Tachikawa Shin, do you know what the ability of your Zanpakuto means?"
Tachikawa Shin chuckled: "What?"
"Once registered, your information will be known to all Squads. When you graduate, you will most likely be directly assigned to the Fourth Division. No, it should be said that you will definitely be assigned to the Fourth Division."
Healing-type Zanpakuto are too rare; you might not even find one in a thousand people.
The Soul Society never lacks powerful Shinigami, but having one more doctor who can heal the injured and save lives is clearly more important than the former.
"What's wrong with the Fourth Division?" Tachikawa Shin, however, countered with a smile.
Sawataku Minamida's expression froze. He said earnestly, "Your Swordsmanship, Kido, Hakuda, and Shunpo are all top-notch among your peers, especially your Swordsmanship. I've been in education for so many years, and I've never seen a student with more talent in this area than you. Tachikawa Shin, you have an unlimited future. You should become a more well-rounded Shinigami. It's not impossible for you to become a Vice-Captain or Captain someday. Entering the Fourth Division is not a wise choice for you."
Tachikawa Shin leaned back in his seat and slowly said, "But what can I do if my Zanpakuto happens to have this ability, Mr. Minamida? You're talking as if my future is already predetermined."
Sawataku Minamida merely sighed. He didn't look down on doctors; he just felt that Tachikawa Shin's Swordsmanship talent shouldn't be wasted, and the Fourth Division happened to be a medical Squad.
"Alright, Mr. Minamida, thank you for worrying about my future. But I'm not in a hurry myself, and you don't need to be so worried. Who can say what the future holds?" Tachikawa Shin turned to comfort his teacher, then rose from his seat.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going. Goodbye, Mr. Minamida."
As he left, he held the Asauchi, thinking that he should mark it when he got back, lest he confuse it with someone else's, which would be a huge misunderstanding.
At the entrance of the male dormitory, Tachikawa Shin saw Kanisawa and Hisagi Shuuhei waiting for him.
"Yo! Waiting for me?"
He walked over with a cheerful greeting.
The main focus of both their gazes was on the Asauchi in his arms. When Tachikawa Shin approached them, he directly handed the Asauchi over for them to examine closely.
"Tachikawa Shin, your Zanpakuto… it looks so ordinary, no different from the Asauchi we usually use," Shūhei couldn't help but say.
Tachikawa Shin rolled his eyes at that, thinking to himself that this was indeed the Asauchi they usually used.
Kanisawa then quietly asked, "What's its name?"
"This Shore, That Shore."
"This Shore, That Shore…" Kanisawa gently stroked the blade, his eyes flickering.
"What a beautiful name."
Zanpakuto, after all, was still a novel thing for Spiritual Arts Academy students. The two looked at Tachikawa Shin's Zanpakuto for a long time, seemingly wanting to gain some insight from it so they could also quickly awaken their own Zanpakuto.
But the two were destined to be disappointed.
No matter how they looked at it, this was just an ordinary Asauchi. There were countless identical Zanpakuto in the Zanpakuto storage room.
"Tachikawa Shin, you're getting further and further ahead," Shūhei suddenly sighed.
Tachikawa Shin chuckled at that, "Haven't I always been by your side?"
Shūhei also smiled.
"But, don't walk too slowly, lest I leave you behind."
#
The next morning.
Student Council Headquarters Office.
All the new first-year Student Council members had arrived early and were waiting. Today was their first official day joining the Student Council, and everyone's face showed a certain degree of excitement.
Tachikawa Shin arrived a bit late, but fortunately, he wasn't tardy. As soon as he arrived, his ears were filled with greetings like "Good morning, President," which helped to clear his mind.
Hisagi Shuuhei began speaking on behalf of Tachikawa Shin: "Welcome, everyone, to the Student Council. The Student Council is the link between the Spiritual Arts Academy and the students…"
"Now, we will announce the departments each first-year member has been assigned to. We hope you will take your work seriously and not betray the trust of the Spiritual Arts Academy and the students, and live up to the responsibility you bear."